..If the 6MWD is low, thoroughly search for the cause(s) of the impairment. Better 6MWD reference equations will be published in the future, so be sure you are using the best available reference equations...

..The degree of airways obstruction, as determined by the FEV1/FEV6 from spirometry, is an independent predictor of subsequent decline in lung function; and therefore, may be used to detect smokers at higher risk of developing COPD...

The 6-min walk test: a quick measure of functional status in elderly adults

Paul L EnrightUniversity of Arizona, USAChest 123:387-98. 2003

..To determine the correlates of the total 6-min walk distance (6MWD) in a population sample of adults > or = 68 years old...

..9 is a noninvasive measure of lower extremity arterial disease and a predictor of cardiovascular events. Little information is available on longitudinal change in ABI or on risk factors for declining ABI in a community-based population...

Standardization of spirometry in assessment of responders following man-made disasters: World Trade Center worker and volunteer medical screening program

..Among those without clinical disease, high levels of subclinical disease are associated with poor survival. The effect of the extent of subclinical cardiovascular disease on the quality of the remaining years has not been defined...

FEV1 performance among patients with acute asthma: results from a multicenter clinical trial

..Occupancy of the water-damaged building was associated with onset and exacerbation of respiratory conditions, confirmed by objective medical tests. The morbidity and lost work time burdened both employees and employers...

GOLD stage I is not a COPD risk factor

Paul L EnrightThorax 62:1107; author reply 1108-9. 2007

Are six seconds long enough?

Paul L EnrightPrim Care Respir J 15:268-70. 2006

The effect of smoking intervention and an inhaled bronchodilator on airways reactivity in COPD: the Lung Health Study

Robert A WiseJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USAChest 124:449-58. 2003

..When all participants were considered and smoking status considered as a time-dependent covariate, smoking cessation was associated with significant reductions in fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease...

Induction of asthma and the environment: what we know and need to know